Nallandyr
Nallandyr is the God of Protection, he who watches over and guards all those who cannot protect themselves, as well as he who keeps the dangers of the world locked safely away from those who would use them to bring harm to others. Often seen as a night in silver armour he bears a noble view of the world, but he is not simply a pure champion of good, knowing well that even those of good intentions can bring great downfall in their blinkered perception. * Intermediate Deity * Symbol: a Blue Cross on a Silver Shield (colours can vary). A cleric may (and often does) use his own actual shield as a holy symbol. * Home Plane: Nirvana * Alignment: Lawful Neutral (evil clerics not allowed) * Portfolio: * Worshipers: * Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, LE, N * Domains: Law (Loyalty), Protection (Defence), Repose * Favoured Weapon: Mace and Shield * Other Names: The Lord of Protection, the Silver Shield, the Guardian of the Beyond Nallayndyr Dogma Worshipers of Nallandyr Nallandyr leads by example, his sermons stories of his deeds to be use as allegories. As such his dutiful knightly ways are how his servants present themselves. They are seen as mostly recoverers and keepers of ancient and dangerous treasures, preventing evil from using such things, but this is a more modern view of them, when in their purest form they are protectors of the people, from the dangers of this world and beyond. Though he does have his own code of ethics, he is more a servant of the cause rather than a creator of one. As such his clerics usually adapt themselves to the existing protectors of the land like the Forbearance Order of Knights in Kaebria, the prison keepers of Morguard in Hilsyren, the Stone Keepers of Eridor and many more. Because of this, Nallandyr is very well welcomed into other faiths and lands, only being a true enemy of the gods and lands or darkness and chaos. Follower Titles * Vigil (town bound priest) * Sentinel (Seeker of those to protect) * Grand Guardian (head of a temple) * Silver Guardian or Silvad Galliad (paladin) The head of the Temple is the Grand Guardian and those under him his vigils. They will often work as an independent watch or patrol, with permission form the ruling authority, but still maintain their own methods. When a vigil is sent out into the world on a mission for the local lord or a holy calling or the church, they become a sentinel, and are bequeathed items from the reliquary - that all Nallandyr churches have - as well as armoury. When someone is thought worthy enough to be a paladin, usually spotted by a Grand Guardian, they take many tests and if worthy and have the spark, they are send to a special order usually at a Grey Holding, where warriors who fight with clerics can teach them all they know, even if there are no other paladin among them. A lot of this comes from scriptures, and as a special student they will be taught how to be a paragourn of goodness through the filter of Nallandyr, until they are a Silvad Galliad or Silver Guardian. The Silvad Galliad are sent of special quests, usually to retrieve items of great evil, as their holy inner light makes them more resistant to corruption, and able to destroy any evil that might have stolen or using such items. Training and Appearance Training entails much combat, especially in the art of defence, and the stories are told of Nallandyr and it is discussed what they mean. The colours of Nallandyr are silver and blue, but white is also added to some to symbolize purity, and red to remember the dead. Full face helms are common as is a lot of armour. Codes of Nallandyr * One must always help those who face death against overwhelming odds, unless they are doers of evil and ruin in which case they should be given mercy and incarceration * Constant Vigil must be kept at all times in all things, for it is not known when and were doom will come * The Nine Tenants of the Code must be followed by all who seek to serve his will: # Accountability - you must take resposibily for all those yo uare cherged to protect # Integrity - you must stick with your convictions even in the face of death # Security - you must keep safe all things dangerous from those who would seek to use them for destruction # Fairness - you must not challenge anyone who have the abilty to match you, and see each person as ain individual and not a part of a greater machination # Servitude - you must serve the law of the land you reside, unless said law has been corrupted by evil intent # Respect - you must always treat those in authority as they choose to be treated, and those who are under you with the respect of your real masters, for they are your wards # Honesty - you must not give falsehood for the trust of your order will be compromised, should speaking such truths bring danger then you are bequeathed the right of silence # Objectivity - you must see both sides of any conflict, and give the enemy a chance to change its minds # Selflessness - you life must be forfeit in your cause, dying in the cause of protection will only allow Nallandyr's work to strengthen # Aggression - this must be tempered by judgement and a weapon used only after an enemy who can be saved has hit your shield. A weapon is known as the the second recourse for this reason * Those who forsake the ways of the Nallandyr shall not take up a shield until they have been atoned. Practices of the Priests First watch must always be taken by a Nallandyte, and if there are more, the highest ranking then the oldest goes first and so on. It is this time in Holy Vigil that the pious meditate on protection and the challenges ahead as other clerics pray, giving them no need to make them self vulnerable in traditional devotion. Polishing, repairing, and upgrading shields is seen as divine task and you can often see a Nallandyte attend to such things in his personal time. A cleric or paladin's shield is seen as the manifestation of their soul, and must be kept in peak condition at all times. Atonement often happens as way of a long ward, such as guarding a wall for a set amount of time (depending on the violation) Those who turn to true destruction and chaos are sent to the Oubliettes to face Oblivion until the end of time, other wise their is risk of corruption. Myths speak of the Synos Galliad, or the Shield Breakers. Silver dragons are considered holy due to some unknown ancient event between the two. Many silver dragons allied with Nallandyes during the Dragon Rage Wars and are said to maybe even run Silver Sanctuaries The Church of Nallandyr The church has no single world wide head, but instead is more segmented, with the churches that were founded after the Reckoning having their own ways to cope with Nallandyr's loss, and when they all met centuries later reformed their churches to be similar, adopting some of the ways of the others, but also keeping their own ideas and methods, meaning not all churches of Nallandyr are run the exact same way, and is more likely to be influenced by its country of residence, Hilsyren temples more church like, Eridor ones more militaristic etc. Those of Kaebria are said to be more true to Nallandyrs way, and are somewhere tween those last two; beautiful buildings of inspiration, yet made hold against a ten year siege. And every Nallandyr church has a reliquary with an item to be guarded, it is church mandate. There are three main churches of Nallandyr; Abbeys, Sanctuaries, and Holdings. There are also shrines. Temples The more traditional churches of Nallandyr, it is usually part of a larger structure such as a fortress or castle, and the clerics here act as healers and protectors to all those in need, and as soldiers to those who rule the area they are in. Silver Sanctuaries In the most isolated of places, clerics of Nallandyr build fortress like temples, with old magic's and modern stone craft, to hide and protect some of the most dangerous items in the known world. These are not places that are visited easily, and even if they are sought out they rarely allow strangers in, the risk of these powerful relics being stolen too great. But for those pious who are able to find these places, great knowledge and training can be learned here, as long as a stint in service here has been done too, keeping the treasures out of the hands of those it doesn't belong to. It is rare, but there have been certain occasions when the Grand Guardian of the Sanctuaries have allowed items in their possession to be used for specific causes of great import. These items are nearly always not evil or destructive, and must always be returned, or the possessor will have a Silvad Galliad hunting them down for the rest of their lives. Grey Holdings These are the prisons and dungeons for people and monsters that must be punished but cannot be killed. They tend to follow the laws of the land they reside in, and the vigils here see it as a sacred duty looking after them, but there are Grey Holdings in the wilderness that are said to be vast complex monstrosities with beast that have been locked away for hundreds of years behind locks and traps, not out of mercy but because they cannot be killed. All be warned to step into such places, and if the warnings are not headed the resident vigils and wlll bring down their gods might to make sure they are released. It is not uncommon for some Grey Holdings to also be Silver Sanctuaries, but this practice is only for very old places, as in the cast few centuries they have realized it wise to not keep very powerful evil artefacts near the very powerful evil people. Shrines Usually a square pillar with a shield it, these always have a hidden compartment a Nallandyr priest can open to store and find useful or important items in. Lawful channelled energy is sometimes needed to open it. Parables St. Josef's Choice St. Josef was a follower of Nallandyr who lived on an island in the sea, with his wife and two children, and it was a peaceful simple life, they had one boat, one house, one room and one shield. One day thre was a mighty storm caused by the goddess Shareshra and the island was to be sunk. Josef could only save one person, as he was the only one able to row a boat. He did not know who he should save, his wife, his oldest son or his youngest daughter, so he prayed to Nallandyr who he should save in this desperate time and wind nearly carried his daughter away. He took this as a sign to take her, as she needed to be protected, and maybe the two strongest could survive the storm. Once the storm had passed for after several days he returned and found no sign of his wife or son, and wondered if he had made the right choice. Upon his death he met Nallandyr and asked him if he made the right choice and Nallandyr said, there was no right choice or wrong choice, only the one who can live with himself afterwards. ***There is an alternate ending of this story, but that isn’t taugh int most churches. Nallandyr's History Called to the world from the Great Beyond over 22,000 years ago, Nallandyr was tasked by The Creator to prevent the Forbidden from getting through the hole that was the moon, most famously the demons. Though some sects of his faith believe he was actually meant to guard the moon it self, this is contradicted by modern understandings of what the moon is; a gateway to the Beyond Above and Below. Many modern Nallandytes take this as a sign to slay and banish all evil outsiders that find their way into the world, and even to return the good doer beings back away from mortal affairs. Because the moon moved around the horizon of the world, Nallandyr was a wandering protector, who tracked the coasts of the world, spending a lot of his time in the ancient first city of Ybalionn. Many modern clerics see the coasts, as well as the moon as sacred, as well as newly built settlements and buildings. Some say that after the discovery of bronze smelting it was Nallandyr who aided the people of Ybalionn to force the first metal armours, but this event is also claimed by Remnor, Hextor, and even Moradin as well as others. Nallandyr is accused by many nature loving deities for the first mass killings of the animals of the southern lands to make armour though, citing him as the cause that the Delcamadon not existing any more. Never the less armour is seen as a sacred manifestation of the Guardian's gift to man by Nallandytes. Around 8,000pr it was in Ybalionn that Nallandyr's first shame was committed. As a watcher of the moon, Nallandyr believed he made the world impossible to get into from the outside, but he did not think to look at the Fourth Moon; of the two identical moons that only appeared as exact duplicates when reflected in a still sea, and due to the evil Goddess Shareshra, this was made so, and form it's unstoppable hoards of the Abyss came and brought down all that was civilization. the sea is seen as a dangerous and deceiving place to Nallandytes now, always to be watched, and avoided if possible. From the ruins of mans first achievement, man gods took men on pilgrimages around the world and started many new civilizations, all different but their roots the same. Maybe in atonement for his failing at Ybalionn, Nallandyr famously came to the north, where it is said the art of war was bing perfected by Hextor. He saw the travesties of those who were weaker in numbers, and tools, and felt pity for them, and it was to them that he gave the secret of the shield, not only its use but the art '' of using it. Hextor became a great enemy of Nallandyr after this time. All Nallandytes protect the vulnerable but also aid them so they may protect themselves too. The north became a home for Nallandyr as the first tribes fell under his banner, the silver moon on the blue sea, without him seeking worshippers. He mad his home upon the northern most coast, so he could watch the last danger from demons, the eternal frozen top of the world, sealed with ice long ago to cover a great opening. The majority of Nallandyr's followers are in the north of Kaebria now, spanning from Sidonia to Trevania, and thinning out as it goes further south, worshippers bellow the Heart Lands almost unheard of. Though some claim it was his unending vigil that kept Nallandyr locked to the coast, other state it was another reason he never spread his lessons to the south of the world; love. In a battle with a sea demon, Nallandyr fell under the spell of a powerful lyrical minion of the abyssal beast, Sirin. Luring him nearly to his death, he spared her when he saw how her master treated her, and admired how she only wanted to be free and wild, actually one of the daughters of Shareshra who brought his downfall. He never brought himself to kill her after he killed the demon lord, but instead kept her on an island paradise of her own, visiting her from time to time. Though very opposite they both learned from each other and after he sought her aid in the first Holy Wars when the three Gods of the Ethos, Heiron, Aramar and Moradin came out of the east and tried to cleans the land. Aramar made Sirin a bird like creature for her aid and she and Nallandyr protected the skies, sea and land all as one. This teaches all his followers that not all evil irredeemable, and many who do bad things may only do them out out the lack of understanding or because they are forced to, and followers should help end disputes through peace and not only death where possible. This attitude of redemption and acceptance though did not sit well with the Holy States of Heironeous and his kin though around 4,200pr, and when arcane magic came to the hands of mortal man in the form of the Diaster Colleges, Nallandyr made peace with them and tried to sate their destructive ways, while Heironeous saw such power in mortal hands an abomination only to be corrupted. Though they were not enemies, relationships were strained, and when the first true armies arose, Nallandyr's followers and he himself, stood defiant against the encroaching state that slew the perceived evil. This teaches his clerics that just because something if righteous and good, it can still bring harm and destruction while seeking its goals and should be stopped with as much conviction but not violence, as evil. This time of magic saw a new threat to the moon though, and when the first wizards tried to syphon energy through it, and even enter it Nallandyr knew this was wrong, and would stop such things, famously slaying a wizard who tried to return to Lorald after seeing the forbidden Great Beyond, something he knew to be forbidden by the ancient Ybalionn tablets. This strained the relationship between the wizards and Nallandyr but they did not question him as his influence in the north were strong. Heironeous grew more respect for him at this point. This teaches his followers to stick to your codes and convictions even if it means making an enemy, as it maintains your strength and other allies can be made in doing so. The bond between Heironeous and Nallandyr grew when demonic incursions in the men to the east of the Invincible's land, brought dark unholy magics and beings that tried to seek out the Ethosian holy land, that Heironeous, Aramar, and Moradin consider a most sacred and secret place. With Sirin's help Nallandyr trapped these dark worshippers in a dome of eternal night to live out and learn from their mistakes but not die. In thanks Heironeous sanctified Nallandyr's and Sirin's love and wed them. This teaches the boons of prisons and punishment by restriction, and why Nallandytes's often take up the duties of building and manning great prisons and dungeons. Around 4,000pr elves from the south game to the north, bringing bows and arrows, and the master of the stars. The wizards of the north were fascinated by this and collaborations were made, but a feud regarding the use of this power forced Nallandyr to intervene and in a battle that was said to cause great comets to fall from the sky, Sirin died. Such was the magic that was used not even Aramar could bring her back. The elves left and Nallandyr went into mourning, a throne build around where Sirin had died and he upon it. Wars carried on, and though Hextor seemed to vanish, Heironeous had many other enemies in the north. It was only around 3,000pr that stability, though delicate, was made by the men of the north, and children of men would carry on the works of their fathers, and act as representatives of the various gods, donning a golden halo - or crown - to represent this. These were the first kings, and Nallandyr's realm took up this honour in the absence of his involvement. All Nallandytes respect royalty and official leaders of the lands, for they are the ones who must protect their people at the highest mortal level. Nallandyr did not make his presence known again until around 1,900pr when the new kingdoms where having smaller kingdoms of warriors among them, changing king for general, and nobles for commanders as the first military structures formed. It was too late for all the kingdoms to know that these actions secretly powered the long though gone god Hextor, as it was incidental worship of war. Nallandyr returned disguised as a special soldier, teaching the men in the armies to act as they were the sons of their noble kings would and live by their code instead of following orders blindly. This took power away from Hextor and is said to be the origins of knights, the children of the kings, but there is much dispute about this as they did this more in the name of the then man Asafam, Nallandyr taking no credit. Nallandytes are well aware of the benefits of honour in man, and that if the hearts of the servants of the enemy can be changed, the enemy has no power. Hextor fled south and in 600pr corrupted this knightly system, bringing it to a new being on the world calling himself Szantzay. His kingdom grew fast and strong, taking other kingdoms under his own and calling himself and Emperor. Centuries of war saw many new engines of such, from the perfection of shortswords, iron from the first dwarves from the east, and beasts of battle. Nallandyr accepted the dwarves into his lands, and many new methods of defence were made from stone and metal. Shortly after 400pr through contact with the enemies of the dwarves, the giants, Szantzay discovered the secret of Steel and its empire grew as they became engines of death. Nallandyr focused on keeping his people safe, and most of all that none would seize the land of his throne, even accepting the Diaster's Colleges request to build a tower in his city, Straasguard. Humans feeling trapped in a land constantly at war took to the seas, and followers of Nallandyr often accompany them in the search for new lands, or safer ways to travel great distances, knowing well the dangers the seas held. Many Nallandytes to this guard work as ship guards on long journeys to other lands. Famously Egel Shanty protected a ship from a coven of sirens by singing of their goddesses merry love of Nallandyr, getting all the sailors to join in, counteracting their enticing song. This is said to have started the tradition of sea shanties (though many pirates discredit this). These journeys across the seas though were not all watched by Nallandyr and one curious wizard ventured into the frozen dark of Nocturna, and released the Demon Lord Orcus to join the death and war of the men lands below. Szantzay took advantage during this time, and let the forces of Heironous and his ilk, battle with the demon lord of the undead, and when both were weak and near defeated, seized their lands as his own, making now Szantzay the largest empire the world have ever known. Despite its size though, there were still many areas of rebellion, such as the Celtic Lands and of course Nallandyr. Though its borders shrank, never did his citadel fall, or his men fall to the Szantzay Empire. The fragments of the other kingdoms formed a unity through the first treaties, and only due to this did they endure, and it was said it was in no small part due to Nallandyr. In 255pr, brave men from Nallandyr's lands decided to seek out a new land, one that was spoken of by the dwarves who settled here, and land of giants and mountains, but where there was no war and the land was rich and bountiful. Under the Banner of Nallandyr's protection (opinions vary if this banner is symbolic of an actual artifact of the god) they travelled through the enemy lands, into the barbarian hoards of the stretch only to be opposed by the Lord of Winter himself. But with faith in Nallandyr despite his lack of presence, they survived it all and founded the land of Tolish in the name of the kings of their homeland. A time came when the magic of the wizards ended in its size and scope, and without magic so abundant this such as mounted armies in strategic formations, great units of artillery, and even liquids that could explode into flame grew in commonality in the border battles, meaning that Nallandyr and his followers had to developed new ways to protect people from all this. When the simple bows the elves had given to humans became power houses of strength and death, Nallandyr and Moradin's men developed what is seen as fullplate these days, giving it to their elite soldiers the Nadir Knights, so called because they fought when all was at its lowest point. The enemy soon tried to duplicate the armour but were not as mighty as the Iron bound Nadir Knights, who though few in number, made warfare their lives. Few gods of Goodness existed in this time of Szantzay rule, but it was decided that a man and not a god should be the salvation of humanity, and so an angel came to visit on, but it was Nallandyr who the angel had to convince to let into the world. This is another story that has many variations, but it was said the Silver Guardian tested the angel in some way then let him bless the woman who would give birth to Padomari who founded Hilsyren. This cameo in the Hilsyren Ethosian myth, is one of the few reasons Nallandyr's worship is tolerated in Hilsyren. Eventually Celtic lands were on the brink of inevitable collapse and users of magic from their land, had allied with others for one last ditch effort, but they needed Nallandyr's help. These Green Mages pleaded to have use of the Nadir Knights and access to the moon. What was done was unknown, but Nallandyr agreed and the knights left never to be seen again. When all but Straasguard stood in Nallandyr's kingdom salvation and destruction came as The Creator himself arose from the bowls of the earth, splitting asunder the north pole and raising the lands north of Straasguard out of the sea as he did. The Creator and the One Storm out in space became one and for 13 years all was in chaos and anarchy, Hilsyren was heard of, leading a charge on the demons that had been released by The Creators awakening when the ice caps shattered asunder, this was known as the Great North War and Nallandyr and his men fought also. In this time Orcus returned and it was Aramar who sacrificed his life in these new risen lands north, to end the undeath and demony. The end of The Creator's Reckoning saw the Gods, Nallandyr as well being forced from the world to leave it to the mortals, but before he did, he as well as many of the other gods left their mark on the world, making many of the superstitions and omens that many adhere to today, One such mark Nallandyr left is the sanctity of home, and that no evil shall enter that is not invited, metaphorically, and with vampires, literally. After the Reckoning humans were left with no magic or power that had ebbed from the gods, and many felt they were abandoned, but the worshippers of Nallandyr were used to being far from their master as he sat on his Ivory Throne, and believed he was still in the world, making his faith one of the first to be founded in its modern form as it is today, especially in northern Drorn. Since Nallandyr has returned to the Great Beyond it is believed he still watches over the moon, but from the other side, but his men not need worry as much about that, a point many knew to be sour for the god, and so after the Reckoning his banner forever became a cross upon a shield to symbolise his first gift to men literally and metaphorically, and the lines as a cross to represent the land and the sky that must be guarded. 'Game Rules for Nallandyrn Clerics' '''Magic' *'Nallandyr Spells ' Bonus Class Skill Options: *Knowledge (local) or (planes) *Knowledge (tactics) *Perception Bonus Feat Options: *Conviction (Cha 13) *Combat Reflexes *Endurance *Shield Bash, Improved *Tower Shield Proficiency Advanced Feat Options: General *Channel Shield Wall *Create Reliquery Arms and Shields *Protectors Strike *Pure Faith *Ultimate Resolve *War Priest Combat *Bashing Finish *Bodyguard *Combat Patrol *Combat Reflexes (combat) *Covering Defense *Defensive Combat Training *Divert Harm *In Harms Way *Missile Shield *Ray Shield *Saving Shield (hield prof) *Shield Focus *Shield Focus Grerater *Shield Master *Shield Master *Shield of Swings *Shield Slam *Shield Specialization *Shield Specialization Greater *Shield Wall *Shielf Focus *Stand Still *Steady Engagment *Tower Shield Proficiency Nallandyr Prestige Classes Shieldmaster Shield Knight Grey Sentinel Master of Armour